


The Whole Truth

by NegativePersonality



Category: One Piece
Genre: Cheesy alternate Water 7 backstory, Excessive Fluff, Luffy is an idiot, M/M, Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates, Robin is playing cupid, Usopp is a coward, you know how it goes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 09:17:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16426631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NegativePersonality/pseuds/NegativePersonality
Summary: In which the crew confronts their captain about his favouritism toward the sniper, and Robin helps to clear a few misunderstandings





	The Whole Truth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IcePrincesChan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcePrincesChan/gifts).



> For those who wonder where I went, it’s been rough lately. My grandmother, who raised me alongside my mother, fell and broke her shoulder several weeks ago. She needs constant care and monitoring, so I haven’t been getting much sleep. I’ve been dealing with some pretty nasty anxiety as well. Overall it's been a mess, and I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to write anything at all for quite a while.
> 
> So once again, this is for IcePrincesChan. I don’t have enough words to thank you for inspiring me to write during this time. This story and non-asexual Luffy still feel a bit disjointed to me (and I'm too tired to figure out why), but I hope you enjoy it anyway :)

 

 

 

They were gathered in the galley, the sounds of the fishtank bubbling softly behind them as the tension filled the room.

“So,” Nami began, leaning back. “Care to explain yourself?”

“Nami,” Chopper said nervously. “You shouldn’t be so harsh.” His eyes darted back and forth between the captain and the navigator. “He already told you the truth, didn’t he?”

Her hand smacked down on the table, and Zoro startled awake.

"I don't buy it!"

“I know how you feel, but try to keep your cool, sister,” Franky offered.

“How do you expect me to do that now?” The stinging in her hand felt like nothing compared to the tightening in her throat. She had never felt so betrayed. “I can't, not when it's so obvious. He spends all his time with him. He goes out of his way to protect him. He even sneaks into his bunk at night! Usopp is Luffy’s favourite, and…” She paused and swallowed hard, turning to face the captain. “If it came down to it, you would save him before the rest of us, wouldn’t you?”

Luffy was still, and his voice was serious. “I would save everyone.”

“That’s not always possible!” she cried.

“Then you need to be strong enough to save yourself,” Zoro said, the irritation in his voice proving that he still wasn’t totally awake yet.

“Easy for you to say,” she scoffed.

“I think he’s right though,” Brook added. “Our captain still relies on us all to keep ourselves safe. He should only step in when he needs to. Even if Usopp is his priority, I still trust him to protect me when I need it.”

“You don’t need protecting, you’re already dead!”

“Oh, that’s right. It’s easy to forget, you know. Especially when you don't have a brain. Yohohohoho!”

Robin, who had been listening from the corner of the room, closed her book.

“I understand how you feel, but I think that our captain is showing something a bit…different.”

The room was quiet, with only the sound of the wind and the waves gently washing against the ship.

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps,” Robin answered, a playful smile on her lips, “Our captain is in love.”

The navigator blinked. She was just about to reply when Luffy started laughing.

“You’re so funny, Robin! They already know that!”

Everyone stopped, and a wave of shock permeated the air. Only Robin was smiling. Luffy looked around with a sort of expression that said ‘what’s wrong with you guys?’

Sanji was the first to recover. “Luffy, do you…l _ove_ him?”

Luffy nodded. His grin was blinding. “Almost more than meat!”

“He’s serious,” he said, sitting back in his chair with a look of disbelief.

“Of course!” Luffy replied, a little annoyed. “Isn’t it obvious?”

There was a thud, and they all turned.

It was Usopp. He had fallen back from where he had been listening behind the door, stunned, his expression filled with far too much doubt for what he’d just heard. Luffy turned, and for a moment their eyes met.

Then there was a crash, and the sniper scrambled around the corner.

Nami folded her arms and looked over at Luffy. “You still think it was obvious?”

Franky’s machinery hummed a little louder than normal. “Did he…run away?” he commented.

Chopper, who was still trying to process everything that had happened, only nodded.

Luffy hadn’t moved. It was like he was frozen in his chair, unable to look away from the place the sniper had been just a moment ago.

Nami couldn’t have been more irritated if she tried. Her emotions were all over the map, and she could only imagine how much worse it must be for the one who just fled like a schoolboy. She kicked Luffy’s chair. “What are you doing, you idiot? Now’s not the time to space out!”

He nodded and stood before racing out the door.

The rest of the crew remained, almost unable to breathe, waiting as patiently as they could for some sign that everything was okay. But it had been silent above deck for far too long. One by one, they quietly stood and crept toward the door.

When they were outside, they found they were just in time to hear a splash and see Luffy lean over the railing.

“Come back here! That’s cheating!” he whined.

“Just go in after him. It’s not like he’d let you drown.”

Luffy looked down, considering it. Usopp’s voice rose up from the water in a panic. “Th-That’s cheating!” 

“ _This isn’t a game!”_ Nami snapped.

“You can fish him out! I just have to get my fishing pole. I’ll be back in the blink of an eye!...Or I would, if I had any eyes. YOHOHO—”

“GUM GUM—”

“I’m too tired for this,” Zoro groaned.

“FETCH!”

“Oh, that’s a new one,” Chopper said excitedly.

A muffled “Exploding Star!” rang in the distance. A small puff of fire enveloped Luffy’s face for a split second before he lost his balance and tumbled into the ocean.

Franky and Chopper raced to the railing. Their captain had just hit the water so they watched, waiting to see what Usopp would do.  

“Where did Sanji go? He’ll miss the super rescue!”

“I think he went to check if we still have popcorn.”

“Why can’t anything happen normally around here?” Nami complained. Robin only chuckled as she unfolded her lawn chair and searched for a good view of the action.

It wasn’t long before Usopp hauled Luffy back to the deck, soaking wet. Sanji had just returned with the popcorn, but when he saw the glare on Usopp’s face he turned on his heel and walked back to the kitchen.

The sniper slowly lowered the captain onto the deck. Chopper quickly transformed, placing his hand on the pulse point in Luffy’s wrist. “He’s only passed out,” he said. “But it sounds like he has fluid in his lungs. I can pump it out, so—”

He stopped.

“What?” Usopp pressed, leaning forward.

Chopper fidgeted. “Technically I should do mouth to mouth to be safe,” he said quietly.

“Then do it!”

“But Luffy doesn’t love me, he loves… _you_!” The reindeer’s face burned with a blush, and for once he was grateful for his thick layers of fur. “You do it!” he cried.  

“I…don’t know how!” Usopp spluttered. “I am a brave warrior of the sea, not the sheets!”

Nami nearly exploded. “Now is _NOT_ the time _—”_

“Nami swaaaaaan,” Sanji’s voice sailed from the kitchen with just a hint of concern, “I think you need some food to calm—”

“You think I’m not calm!?” she roared, storming toward him. There was a crash and a roll of thunder as black clouds suddenly began to seep from the kitchen windows and doorway. Franky watched in horror. “Stop it, you’re gonna break the ship!” he cried, racing after them.

He watched them leave, then looked at Usopp. “I’ll give you two some privacy,” Chopper whispered shyly, transforming and galloping away before Usopp could say anything else

It was quiet for a long time after that. Usopp sat next to Luffy, watching his chest rise and fall as he concentrated on the sound of his breathing. Too many emotions were swirling in his head to think right now. Slowly – as though he was moving without realizing – his hand reached forward, and his fingers brushed carefully against Luffy’s.

There was a sigh. “If you’re going to kiss me, just do it already. I’m hungry and I want to eat.”

Usopp froze. “You…you were pretending?”

“Wasn’t it obvious?”

“What about you is ever obvious?” He kept his eyes pointed at the space between them, feeling the heat rise to his face. “All this time, and I didn’t even know you felt—”

“I told you.”

“When!?”

“In Water 7. Before you left the crew.”

Usopp paled. “I…thought that was a dream…”

Luffy laced his fingers around Usopp’s, and Usopp froze. The captain leaned closer, closer, until his nose nearly met with the sniper’s.

“It wasn’t,” he said.

Usopp opened his mouth to speak…but then he bit his lip and looked away.

Luffy sat back. He untangled their fingers, and the sniper’s hand felt suddenly cold.

“I’m…sorry,” he said. “I’ve made you run away twice now. I won’t do it again, so…” He turned around, but Usopp could hear the wavering in his voice. “Please don’t leave again.”

The silence that passed between them was too heavy for comfort. Usopp hesitated, then turned around so the two of them were back to back.

After a while, he spoke. “Do you know why I run?”

“Because you’re a coward?”

“Well, yeah…but that’s not what _makes_ me run.”

“It’s not?”

“No.” The sniper sighed, and he could feel his captain tense behind him. “I only run when I’m not ready to stop telling lies.”

Luffy was quiet, so he continued. “It’s always that way. If I’m fighting someone stronger than me and the lies aren’t working, I have to escape if I want to live.”

“But when I was fighting Lucci,” Luffy said quietly, “You didn’t run.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“But you knew you couldn’t win, right? I mean, I almost…”

“I know.”

“Then why did you…?”

Usopp was quiet. Luffy waited, but he never was very good at being patient.

There was a sigh. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“Not today, no.”

Luffy groaned and pushed up off the deck. “Well, this sucks. My clothes are wet and I’m still hungry.” He offered Usopp a hand with only the slightest hesitation. “Want to see if Sanji’s got any meat ready?”

Usopp looked up. He paused, seeing the hand reaching out, waiting, remembering a time long ago. He couldn’t help but smile as he took it. “Sure.”

The two walked toward the kitchen, pretending they didn’t realize that they were still holding hands.

“Someday,” Luffy said, the playfulness returning to his voice, “I want to know the whole truth.”

“And someday,” Usopp grinned, “You will.”

The captain looked suspicious. “You’re not lying, are you?”

“Nope.”

His eyes narrowed further. “You’re really telling the truth?”

Usopp looked at his captain, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious?”

 

 

 

 

When they were gone and she knew it was safe, Robin smiled and closed her book.

Devil fruit powers are nice, but she never felt she needed to use them where those two were concerned. When they talked, they were in their own world. They wouldn’t notice if it was just Robin’s ear on the wall or her entire body sitting in a chair. And this was good, because she was certain this wouldn’t be the last time the crew had a misunderstanding over the captain and the sniper.

She had known about Luffy’s feelings well before Water 7. And she knew – despite how long nose tried to hide it – how he felt in return. It was nice, because she felt like she could repay them this way. After all, it’s not like she would be alive without them.

She folded up her lawn chair and went below deck. Favouritism…she was still so surprised they even thought such a thing. They all had their place here, and that was clear enough. Without Zoro, they’d be unprotected. Without Sanji, they’d starve. Without Franky, they couldn’t sail. Without Nami, they couldn’t navigate. Without Usopp, they wouldn’t laugh. Without Brook, they wouldn’t know how to hope in the future. Without Chopper, they would’ve died a long time ago. Without Luffy, they wouldn’t be a crew.

And without Robin, they wouldn’t know how to stay that way.

There was no way Luffy could favour one over the other. It didn’t matter who left, he would chase after them all. Not because he is the captain, not because they are the crew…

He would do it because they are his friends.

“Robin!” Nami called, waving at her from the table. A small stack of empty desert dishes were in front of her, and she was halfway through a glass of fairly strong smelling alcohol. Sanji might not know how to woo a woman, but he sure knew how to feed one.

She pulled up a chair, and Sanji placed another perfect dessert in front of her.

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“So,” Nami said, unable to hold back her interest. “How did you know?”

“It all began in Alabasta,” Robin began, dipping a spoon into the custard. “During the war in Alubarna, I heard an intriguing report about a cowardly sniper on the verge of death who didn’t run away…”

 

 

 


End file.
